Middletown Students Recognized at 13th Annual eesmarts™ Student Contest at State Capitol

Posted by Gaffney Bennett PR, Community Contributor

Posted by Gaffney Bennett PR, Community Contributor

Community Contributor Gaffney Bennett PR

PHOTO CAPTIONS INCLUDED

Middletown area students Mariah Jimenez-Ruiz and Zahara Sumani were honored last week as finalists at the 13th annual eesmarts™ Student Contest ceremony held at the State Capitol.

Presented by Energize Connecticut in partnership with Eversource and AVANGRID, Inc. subsidiaries United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas, the eesmarts Student Contest invites Connecticut students in grades K-12 and college to create projects about energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability.

Mariah's fictional narrative was awarded 3rd place in the Grade 3 category for its message about recycling. In her narrative, a pony named Acorn prevents three young friends from littering by explaining what it means to recycle. "Recycling is when you're done with paper or plastic, you put it in a recycling bin so you can save trees to make paper." As a result, the friends learn to put their water bottle in the blue recycling bin, and Acorn saves the day!

Zahara's book review for "Just A Dream" by Chris Van Allsburg was awarded 3rd place in the Grade 5 category. In her book review, she identifies the book's themes - "all actions have consequences," "one small thing can change everything," and concludes that young children should be considerate and care for their environment. She states, "telling children even though being good to the environment may seem like a chore now, it will be much needed in a decade or two."

The ceremony attracted more than 150 students, parents, teachers, elected officials, and clean energy supporters from across the state in celebration of the students' hard work. Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner Mary Sotos was the keynote speaker for the event, and FOX 61 meteorologist Joe Furey served as Master of Ceremonies.

For more information on the student contest and the eesmarts program, please visit www.eesmarts.com.

About Energize Connecticut

Energize Connecticut helps you save money and use clean energy. It is an initiative of the Energy Efficiency Fund, the Connecticut Green Bank, the State, and your local electric and gas utilities, with funding from a charge on customer energy bills. Information on energy-saving programs can be found at EnergizeCT.com or by calling 1.877.WISE.USE.